Thread: Alcohol Dip

I use alcohol routinely on my blades followed by mineral oil since I store them out in view in the bathroom.

Yesterday I noticed that all but my really widest blades would actually fit into the top of the plastic alcohol bottle.

I have heard that to actually kill the bad stuff...to sterilze; you must immerse for 20 - 30 minutes. By carefully putting just the blade into the bottle, I can do this without drenching the scales.

Before I try this...any potential downside?

I do this with all new to me razors. (Blade only)

I dont think alcohol will hurt your blades but it also aient going to serilize them either.

I use 99% rubbing alcohol to wipe down new to me blades after polishing and honing. Even 99% alcohol contains 1% water... I would not leave a blade in it for a long time... might be cause for some corrosion.

As for the time it takes to disinfect.... when you get a hypodermic shot, the doc/nurse swabs your skin with alcohol for less than 5 seconds. If that's good enough for the pros, it's good enough for me..... I do carefully rub the blade with a swab to give it some mechanical cleaning but considering I've already ground away the surface of the the bevels, there's presumably little left to worry about except whatever might be on my hone/strop.

I agree we should never be careless about this sort of thing, but really... when was the last time you swabbed your hand and your kitchen/pocket knife before cutting yourself in the kitchen/shop? Personally, I get nicked or cut on almost a daily basis at work and there is no possibility of having what I have to work with, cleaned. I'm a letter carrier and I have to deal with 300 old "Approved by the Postmaster General in 1872" type sheet metal mailboxes with lots of sharp edges on the inside (there are times when I'm actually thankful for things *NOT* being made like they used to! ) and I'm always getting cut..... Fortunatly for me, I'm still here to complain about it!

Just my two cents worth.....


Regards

Christian

Alcohol will actually displace water and encourage evaporation, even if there's water in the alcohol

Originally Posted by Doc

I dont think alcohol will hurt your blades but it also aient going to serilize them either.

Being a Doctor and all I guess you would know.

It sounds like a waste of perfectly good alcohol to me! I would prefer to drink it over getting my blades soused as they are pretty mean drunks!!

Hey do what you want. I am just giving you my opinon based on the advice of my doctors.

Here are a few facts please feel free to check them yourselves:

1. Alcohol will rust a blade if you leave the blade in there long enough, not really a concern in our uses...
2. An alcohol submersion does not sterilize, it is the evaporation of the alcohol in air that kills germs....
3. Alcohol does loosen the rust, and clean very well...
4. If sterilization is really what you are searching for, and the fact the the best thing is leaving the razor exposed to open air is one of the best ways... Other than that, I would have to go with maybe UV light, or a commercial sanitizer such as what dishwasher's use in the "dip tank" in bars and restaurants !!!!!

Wow that had to be at least 4 cents worth at least

Thanks;
I was thinking of a razor that I might get from ebay....do you sterilize?

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Wow that had to be at least 4 cents worth at least

I'd pay at least 8¢ for that.